> Stoke-on-Trent City Council partners with VXFIBER for Gigabit full fibre broadband

Stoke-on-Trent City Council partners with VXFIBER for Gigabit full fibre broadband

Wednesday, Mar 14, 2018

Stoke-on-Trent City Council to use VXFIBER Open
Access platform to support full fibre broadband connectivity for
residents and businesses

VXFIBER, the Swedish provider of
Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) Open Access solutions, has partnered with
Stoke-on-Trent City Council to roll out Gigabit full fibre connectivity
to residents and businesses. With an initial project in the city’s
Enterprise Zone, the rollout of a full city-wide fibre network is a
vital part of Stoke-on-Trent’s move towards becoming a smart,
sustainable ‘Gigabit city’.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is
working with VXFIBER and its open access approach to building fibre
networks as the best model to support its aim to transform the city.
Installing a new all-fibre network, lit up by the VXFIBER Open Access
platform, will bring Gigabit broadband connectivity to businesses and
residents in the city and surrounding areas.

As part of an
initial project Stoke-on-Trent City Council plans to extend full-fibre
Gigabit connectivity to the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone, one of 26
Enterprise Zones across the UK. Ceramic Valley is a 140 hectares site
with excellent road and rail connectivity in a strategic central
location with access to the whole UK. The enterprise zone is
transforming brownfield land into sites tailor-made for businesses to
locate to and has so far attracted more than 1,000 jobs.

“Stoke-on-Trent
has a brilliant central geographic location, which is boosting its
economic growth beyond what much of the rest of the UK is experiencing
at the moment. We’re in the top ten fastest growing economies outside of
London, we already have some of the fastest average 4G mobile download
speeds in the country, and are developing an innovative district heat
network to supply sustainable energy to business and residents.

“We’re
serious about becoming a sustainable, smart city. However, the
traditional part copper based broadband offering currently available
simply isn’t good enough to keep pace with the fast-changing
connectivity demands of today’s increasingly digital society and
economy,” explained Councillor Abi Brown, deputy leader of
Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

“Full fibre Gigabit connectivity
addresses these needs and is the cornerstone of our vision for the
future growth and prosperity of our city and its residents and
businesses. VXFIBER is playing a significant role in realising this
vision in a way that’s practical, affordable and flexible, to adapt and
grow alongside our city and its connectivity needs.”

Under the
scheme, Stoke-on-Trent City Council will retain complete ownership of
the city ring fibre network: it already owns the main ducts across the
city and will utilise these to connect all parts of the city. VXFIBER
will “light up” the fibre and supply the platform for operators and
service providers to build and launch their own services to run over the
network. The VXFIBER platform will enable the Council to monetise its
infrastructure and receive a return on its investment in a completely
open access ecosystem where all service providers are welcome to deliver
their services.

The VXFIBER Open Access platform will deliver
better value and reduced service delivery costs for Stoke-on-Trent City
Council, which is in line with its aim to support disadvantaged citizens
with affordable broadband access. Broadband plays an increasingly
important role for delivering benefits online to those who cannot
collect them in person.

The open access VXFIBER platform will
also encourage healthy competition among service providers whilst giving
the users wider choice. It will provide a level playing field for
operators and service providers of all sizes - including smaller,
independent regional players – to host their services on and compete on
features and price.

This model also allows for alternative
investors in the fibre deployment typically undertaken only by the
telecoms industry. With this model, other investors - including housing
associations, developers and other land owners - can ensure their
buildings or developments can benefit from full fibre and get connected
to the Stoke-on-Trent Gigabit city network.

“Stoke-on-Trent is a
forward-looking city that understands the essential role of high speed
broadband access to businesses and individuals, and the positive social
and economic impact it can have on a community,” said VXFIBER Executive
Chairman Mikael Sandberg. “Our work with Stoke-on-Trent City Council
provides a template for other UK local authorities and regional
governments to follow. By investing in and installing Gigabit-speed
fibre themselves, local authorities and councils can take charge of
their community’s “digital destiny”, without having to rely on third
party telecom operators or ISPs.”

Sandberg continued, “Councils
can reap the economic and social benefits of full fibre Gigabit
connectivity in a way that’s affordable and future-proof. Furthermore,
the fibre they invest in is a valuable asset that will deliver ongoing
revenue and ROI.”